FAA: O'Hare Airport was Nation's Busiest for Flight Operations in 2014

O’Hare saw more flights than any other airport in the country — 881,933 — despite a fractional drop of 0.2 percent in total operations

O’Hare International Airport regained the nation’s busiest airport crown in 2014 — based on total flights — according to data obtained Wednesday from the Federal Aviation Administration.

O’Hare saw more flights than any other airport in the country — 881,933 — despite a fractional drop of 0.2 percent in total operations, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

It edged out No. 2 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was the busiest in 2013, after Atlanta’s total operations dropped 4.7 percent last year, FAA data indicated.

Midway Airport saw the 26th-highest number of flights in the nation in 2014, at 249,252.

The fractional drop in O’Hare flights came despite the October 2013 debut of new O’Hare flight paths that were supposed to increase capacity and decrease delays.

“Chicago has always stood at the crossroads of the world and the global economy," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement Wednesday. "This news reflects and reinforces our city’s broader economic success story as airlines add new routes to international markets, companies continue to locate in the city, and neighborhoods experience an infusion of economic growth.

The FAA count includes commercial passenger flights, air taxis, general aviation and military flights. It does not include the total number of passengers using the airport, which is the traditional yardstick by which the title of “world’s busiest” has been bestowed. That title was held by Atlanta in 2013, a year in which O’Hare ranked fifth worldwide in total passengers.

"As Chicago reclaims its place with the world’s busiest airport," Emanuel continued. "It speaks to the strength of our city’s economy – the No. 1 city in America for corporate relocations, the top metro area for foreign direct investment, and record growth in international tourism.”

Copyright CHIST - SunTimes
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